Traffic sign



March 14, 1933. K. c. PARKHURST 1,901,333

TRAFFIC SIGN Filed Aug. 14, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1 1

INVENTOR.

llarl C. Parlrhursz ATTORNEY.

March 14, 1933. K c p s-r 1,901,333

TRAFFIC SIGN- Filed Aug. 14, 1931 3 Sheets-Shed! 2 INVENTOR.

ll'ar'l Cibr'ltkurst ATTORNEY.

- March 14, 1933. K c PARKHURST 1,901,333

TRAFFIC SIGN Filed Aug. 14, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Karl C Hzrlr/zursi A TTORNEY.

i atented Mar. 14,

l Applibatiqnpfliedugust 4,-1931'; ser r' nm ssgo o.

My v invention Trelate sjto improvements i aetraflicvsignb .The :ob'ject of. my invention; is to previd ...a

supporting means ionthflbfl se oia Enertically 5 positioned, flexible A. memberfon. whi h; :indi ia are; formed, the; saidv meanssbeing adaptabl for a plurality. offlxible members,-

A further objeotoi myiinventio ris o provide a; base member having, any-approach {at one side slanting, npwarld :fromi the, road; bed.

a A still furl-11.61? objeetqof myinvention isfito provide .a; base ,supp rtingemeanSvfQr.; L; flex: ible-panel or a plurality'.the1.e f,1& 1d1 1%!18; 0 attach the [same to, the .hase member in such 15 a ,way as to. avoid excess eompression at the abrupt bending: point =of1 thefiexiblepanels.

.A still further object of my i lWlI Q is to provid aibas e uppo tnig 1 n mhe or fle ible pan ha mayebeembed e the road, and by depressing thQgIQjl ked nt pne ,or; bothsidesrofithe panelit ievq dr c mpr ion ofithe panelist the=attaehingmm A a stil urth o jec .ofr myfin e tienis D;'P idQ,a i bas membe with: n a p oa h as at n sid QQ PE -L-tQsWQ Ik n; njun tion wi h rmechan eel er cting mean for t e, panels.

: e dental-newbies f mitinvent o is s Provid -a e em.. nibe -:hevins nnani san ing appr on ens s d ,smlhav-ln th w rtica rporti ni theime nben extend n belo th .rea -bed,-and edems' siq jth bedlto c v rs fle i lep ne whe ier e sde wardth r nhn hewhe lze weh sl z hei :3 b avoiding, QQI Jpression nl el i pix point of the panel. r V

still:-gfiurthereobjectrof myginyention is-to provide flexible panels interchangeable and having adepressedsea-t tqengage snugly on a like protruding inember arranged .onwthe base.

' A still 1 further obj ect-of my invention is to provide a one waytraflic sign-positioned in A5 theline oft-ravel on tl efrdad bed. r

, The eend. othewbiwts'.w kl exe n f be mor nl ysxnle edi re etefi bs e hed t the;aeeempanvieeidrewin s enn s ..e:.pa t of thi spe ifi tion ndinnh ehz k ,Qharen views, reference vvi r spe t: tomedre ingsz v a i n Fig-'7 is an n w: Pa ly in se ti take n ine Fig-2- llus rat ngacone e approach Withthe base partly embedded,

Fi w2 fil l l .Y W o igs I I :Eigsen en vi ofthes g W t -th b s memb r. te on thes t c of e q d and-anapproach integral with the base, w

J -fl, 1 Plenviewo i s-3- w a s Fig-.5 is a View similar-t0 Fig. 1 showing pbs t ip h ne e a ompress y a heel of a vehicle.

TFi -T 1 an. l a i Qfth sv s -epne t fronn the approaching side, parts removed 6,5 t

for convenience .ofrillustration. v V

, FigFTisan elevation of one of the panels v showingthe depression atthebase.

Fig. 8. is aisectional iew taken online 8 -58 i n Eig .'7. Y vI {Q FiIQ isasimilar View toF ig," 1 showing the fl e ble..-p e h nged y-e im t P 11 1 base and spring actuated;

;Fig. .10 islasecti onal view taken on line 10:41. LE g- 9- fl'n-gm n i r yl H ZW H '2 Fig.11 is'r'asimil'ar. vievvwtoFig. 9r shoiwing a gravity actnating. means Kforl the erection of th p nel 7 r Fig, 12; is a sectional "view taken on line 12%12,inFig 11Lfragmentai'ilylshovvn. .Fig; 13' is. an end View of. a, flexible panel positioned in *the road bed and depressed al ng each side thereof, the, road bedinse'ctiQ z I i r ['Myinvention herein disclosedlconsistsof 8 5 afoot member land a verticallyldisposed portion 2, the upper edgejcurved as shown atA. Secured to the ,Ve'rtical'portion of the base, is a flexiblepanel 3j0n one side ofwhich are letters as shown at 4, the said letters being no embedded in the panels. Thesaidpanels' are so arranged that a plurality thereof, are distribnted 'a ong he s memben'a b ng spaced apart @as shownin Fig 2, the panels beingremovable and. interchangeable, all of .9 whiehare securedtothe base mennber by ineans of a bar inember 5, the saidibar member being secured. to the base means [of bolts spaced therealong as shown at .6, each positionedfl between tWo panels. 10

The above described base member is arranged and designed to be embedded in a road bed by arranging a depression as shown at B, one side of which is vertical while the other side slopes upward to the road bed level. The said base member is placed as shown in Fig. 1. An approach 7 is placed on oneside thereof slopingfrom the road level and extending upward to the top of the base, the same thus arranged is preferably made of concrete, the upper extremity of the base curv ing toward the approach. 1 v

The depression referred to is arranged to receive the flexible panels when forced therein by a wheel of a vehicle contacting therewith while passing over the same as shown in Fig. 5, and being so arranged theabrnpt bending point atthe connection will be pro tectedfagainst contact of the wheels of a ve hicle.

It will be understood that my tralfio sign is placed on'the righthand side of the road and'facing the line of trafiic, and eachpanel will have a "letter placed thereon tospell words correctly. For instance. in the'word stop, Ihave arranged four panels, each having'a'singleletter placed thereon spelling the same, and should anyone ofithe panels become damaged by trailic, the" same may be removed, by'which meansI avoid replacement of the entire word. 7 v Spaced along the vertically disposed-portion of the base are protrusions 8 and alike indenture 9 is placed nearthe center of the base portion of each of the panels to receive the same, the indenture being show'nin'Figs.

7 and '8. This arrangement is to properly position each panel at the time of securing the same to thebase member, also to prevent the panel from upward movement fromthe' base should the clamping means become loose.

InFigs. 3 and 4 is shown a modified form which functions in like manner to that previously described. This form of abase member consists of a similar foot and-vertical portion as heretofore described, and the curved portion extends forward to the same plane of'the base and being so arranged the vehicle willapproach and pass over the same-asthat shownlin Fig. 1. This arrangement avoids.

a depression in the road way. .As'a means to secure the same to the paving, I have arranged a lip 10 outwardly extending from each endfthereof and through which an anchorbolt 11 is inserted intothe roadbedclamping the samesecurely thereto. j I have also arranged a plurality of bolts 12' spaced along the forward edge of the approach as shown in Fig. l for like purpose.

A modification with respect to installation is shown in Fig. 13. In this instance we have .omitted the base member and simpl'y' jnstalled the flexible member into the concrete, and extending from each side thereof is a cavity, the upper corners of which are Itw'ill be'under stoo'd that a plurality of i panels may be aligned and spaced apart as shown and described for the base plate heretofore described, and this installation, fiexmg at the rigid connection is protected. In :Fig; 7 is shown bydotted lines reenforcing wires similar to those shown and de-.

scribed in my patent application Serial No. 471,118,: filed- J 11].) 285i1930,'bl1t*1d0'110l2 wish to claimthe-same-broadly in this applicar tion, but I wish to illustrate its-adaptation to this presentmethod of installation. In Figs; 9' and llgis 'shown a similar base member to; that shown: -inFig.= 1, and in each case the indicia panels arehingedly'arranged and: placed in working relation thereto. Fig. 9 shows the spring'actuating means for erectionof-the indicia panel, while Fig. 11 shows 'a gravity actuating means for the erection of the panel. Bythe' two latter arrangements; the bending of 1 the indicia panel is avoided and in=each instant the approaches; are the same and 'the function is the samewith respect? to the protecting feature-of'the panel.

While I haveshown a-continuous panel, with respectto the latter arrangements, with indicia printedfthereon; I do not wish to be restricted to the same, as a plurality of members may beemployed heretofore described, and such other modifications may be employed as lie within the scope of the ap pended claims, and havingfully described my invention what I'clai-m as'n'ew and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is In a traffic sign,a-bas e member having a ve'rtical portionand an approach obliquely 'ezitending downward to'the road bed level,- and "a' flexible indicia plate-carried by the vertical portionoppositefrom the approach and being attached thereto near the Ipwerportion" thereof,- for the purpose specied.., "I 2; In a trafiic sign, abase-member having a vertical portion and-:an approach obli uejly extending downward to the road d level, and; a flexible.indiciaplatecarried by thevertical portion-opposite from the approach and being attached inclose proximity tothe, foot members z y i 3. In a'traflic'sign, abase, member having an upper. edge portion and means to clamp ajpluralityg'of flexible members to thebase in emb y'fthe" clamping' means spaced downward from the upper edge ofth'e base'memher, an approach on the other side of the base member, and means along the upper edge of the base member to form a nosing for the approach, substantially as shown.

4. In a traflic sign, a base member having a vertically disposed portion, a bar member and means to attach the same to the base, a plurality of flexible panels spaced along the base and being clamped thereto by the bar, the upper edge of which is spaced downward from the top of the base, the base having a protrusion to engage each flexible panel, each panel having an indenture to receive its respective protrusion.

5. In a traffic sign, a base member com prising a vertically positioned portion and a slanting portion integrally joined, the slanting portion functioning as an approach for a vehicle wheel, a flexible panel and means to clamp the same at the lower extremity of the vertical portion to avoid contact at the bending point by a Wheel of a veiiicle passing thereover from the approach S1 e.

6. In a trafiic sign, a'base member having a portion as an approach obliquely slant- 1 ing upward from a road bed and terminating with a turned down portion to a vertical position, and a plurality of flexible members, the lower extremities of which are attached to the lower extremity of the vertical portion, and means to clamp the same firmly together, each flexible member having a character thereon confronting the side of the approach.

7. In a traflic signal, a panel flexibly disposed, a base structure as vertical support ing means for the panel, said base arranged and positioned in a roadway so that the approaching side for a vehicle is on a higher plane. than the other side, by which means the abrupt flexing point of the panel will avoid contact by the wheel of a vehicle passing over the same.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

KARL C. PARKHURST. 

